Dear Members
Firstly I hope you are healthy and well. I also want to send my sincere thanks to those members who have continued to pay their subscriptions in order for Abshot to resurrect when time allows.
I have been drafting this message for several days, trying to think of a way to express our optimism of re-opening, our strategy to ensure the safest possible environment for you to exercise in and how we’ll manage the footfall / use of facilities. As this message is being sent out before the Government making their announcement next week on how the lock down restrictions will be phased out, rather than speculating on an approach that we feel is best for our members, we will wait to be led by the Government advice of when and how we can open.
The main reason for this message was to give you the absolute guarantee we will re open, my family and staff have not spent 25 years building up a business for it to be taken away by the disruption caused by this truly horrific virus. With the continual media coverage of business’s closing, small and large, consumer confidence is understandably uneasy and cautious towards expenditure commitments, who would of thought Richard Branson would be discussing a bailout! Not to go into too much detail, Abshot has weathered many storms over the years and learnt not to be reliant on one high street lender, not to put all eggs in one basket and always has a rainy day fund. We have absolute sympathy for those business’s that just simply cannot muddle through these unprecedented times and I hope Abshot will be able to support the local community as it always has done.
Whatever the outcome next week, we envisage opening on a staggered basis, with members who are continuing to pay their membership given first option to enrol onto a gym booking system, then as we carefully increase footfall we will leave an ‘open door’ for existing members to come back when they can without a rejoining fee before we open to new membership applications. We will not open all facilities at the same time and will put in place a new entry, signing in and leaving system.
Stay positive, stay safe and I hope my next email to you is confirming our opening date and plan! In the meantime I want to thank the Personal Trainers that are currently working hard to keep you fit during lock down – if you haven’t already taken part please check our website, Facebook and Instagram on a daily basis.
Regards
Jason Vigiers